Pakistan ace Shaheen Afridi Files Complaint After Kandy Royals Selection Blunder in Lanka Premier League

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 finds itself embroiled in fresh controversy as Pakistan's star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi reportedly filed a formal complaint with the tournament's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) following a massive administrative blunder by his franchise, the Kandy Royals.

The bizarre incident unfolded during a recent match between the Kandy Royals and the Colombo Capitals, leaving the premier pacer completely sidelined despite earlier assurances from his team that he would play a key role.

According to multiple reports, the Kandy Royals management had informed Afridi that he would be utilized as the team's 'Impact Player' for the fixture against the Colombo Capitals. However, the plan fell apart spectacularly midway through the Royals' batting innings.

The coaching staff approached Afridi to inform him of an unintentional slip-up as his name had completely been omitted from the official team sheet submitted to the match officials. Because his name was missing from the official document, tournament regulations strictly prohibited the franchise from bringing him into the game as an Impact Player.

Shaheen Afridi's Fury and the ACU Complaint

The sudden and unexplained exclusion did not sit well with the Pakistan T20I captain. Frustrated and suspicious of the lack of a proper explanation at the time, Afridi immediately approached an ACU official and the match referee to lodge a formal complaint.

Reports indicate that the speedster was furious and came extremely close to packing his bags, walking away from the franchise, and returning to Pakistan mid-tournament.

The situation was eventually brought under control after urgent interventions from both the Kandy Royals management and the LPL tournament organizers.

An LPL spokesperson later clarified that the confusion was purely administrative, stemming from the team mistakenly handing the wrong version of the team sheet to the match referee. Both the franchise and the organizers issued a formal apology to Afridi for the highly unprofessional mix-up, after which Afridi changed his mind and agreed to stay with the squad for the remainder of the LPL 2026 season.

The left-arm pacer, who obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board to participate in the league, had taken four wickets in his first three matches before the incident.

A Tournament Marred by Off-Field Drama

This administrative fiasco is just the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the LPL 2026 season. Even before a ball was bowled, the tournament was rocked by serious off-field drama and match-fixing allegations.

The ownership rights of the Jaffna Kings were abruptly revoked after co-owner Manjot Kalra was arrested by Sri Lanka's Special Investigation Unit over alleged links to match-fixing. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was forced to step in to oversee the daily operations of the Jaffna franchise.

With the Kandy Royals currently struggling at the bottom of the points table, the franchise will be desperately hoping to put this distraction behind them and focus entirely on salvaging their campaign on the pitch.